Self-cleaning ovens which are incorporated into self-standing ranges are well known. Such ovens conventionally have an oven door which is hingedly secured to a range body. The oven door may be opened to gain access to an oven cavity. The oven door may also be closed to close the opening for cooking objects placed in the cavity or cleaning the cavity. One or more heating elements reside in the oven cavity for cooking purposes.
Motorized latches which are used to lock oven doors in a closed position so that the oven cavity may be self cleaned are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,8659,979 and U.S. Pat. No. RE. 27,545 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,320 all disclose such motorized self-cleaning oven door latches. Such oven door latches are activated by a rotary motor located at the rearward portion of the range above the oven. Activation of the motor causes a rod to translate which results in a device at the front of the rod to engage the oven door so that the oven door may not be opened. After the cleaning has occurred, the motor is reactivated, causing the device at the front of the rod to disengage the oven door so that the oven door may be opened.
Using such a motorized latch, when the oven door is locked in a closed position for purposes of self cleaning the oven, the user may not access the oven cavity through the opening covered by the oven door until the motor is reactivated, and the rod translates back to its original position. In the event of an electrical or mechanical failure which prevents the motor from being reactivated, the oven door remains in a locked position such that access to the range cavity is not available except through the rear of the range. With the oven door locked shut, the oven may not be used. In such an event, a service technician must be called to enter the range through the rear of the oven and open the door. The service technician must physically move the range and then use special tools to disassemble the rear of the range to gain access to the oven cavity to open the oven door This process is costly for the range owner and time-consuming. If no service technician is available such as on a Sunday, the oven may not be used for cooking purposes until the service technician comes on Monday to open the oven door. Consequently, a need exists for a motorized latch assembly for a self-cleaning oven which enables a user to open the oven door in the event of an electrical or mechanical failure when the oven is in a self-cleaning mode.
Therefore it has been one objective of the present invention to provide a motorized oven door latch assembly which in the event of failure allows access to the oven through the oven door.
It has further been an objective of the present invention to provide an oven door latch which does not require that the rear of the range be disassembled in the event of failure.
It has further been an objective of the present invention to provide an oven door latch assembly which has a latch at the front of the oven which may be opened with a pry bar type of device in the event of failure, quickly and easily.